CATHY McLeod -- Mapping out a recovery plan and saying good-bye

 

Getting Canadians back to work should be a priority of the Federal Government right now.

My Conservative colleagues and I feel that, and four other key areas, desperately require attention at this time:

- Enacting tough accountability laws;
- Properly supporting mental health;
- Creating a stockpile of vaccines and producing them in Canada; and
- Balancing the budget over the next decade.

One million jobs have been lost since this pandemic broke out last year, and at the same time, we have no solid roadmap for recovery and have functioned without a federal budget for two years.

Canadians need both a plan now and a roadmap for the future.

I encourage you to read more about our plan to rebuild the economy and secure the future at www.conservative.ca/plan/

 

Saying goodbye to two long-time employees

When an MP decides not to run again, it means her office ceases to operate upon Election Day. This closure also impacts staff, so when an election happens, the faces constituents are used to seeing and voices they are familiar with hearing are no more.

While it would serve a new MP well to hire experienced staff, there is no guarantee he/she will do so. This means some of the team will not wait it out to see what will happen at election time, instead they will move on. Two of my team are heading onto new horizons: executive assistant Stephanie Rennick in Ottawa, and Kamloops constituency assistant Jennifer Heselton.

Stephanie was my first hire when I started out in federal politics as a new MP nearly 13 years ago, and it is the best decision I ever made to have someone with her experience, resourcefulness and devotion to her work. When COVID broke out last spring, for instance, Stephanie even got up in the middle of the night to phone India while working with Global Affairs to help bring constituents home.

Jennifer has been with me for 10 years and is the cheery individual that greets constituents who visit or call the Kamloops office with questions or meeting requests. They both cared passionately about the Kamloops - Thompson - Cariboo riding and developed relationships, even friendships, with constituents, government contacts, and other MPs and their staff.

Stephanie is moving on to work for another MP who intends to run in the next election, and Jennifer will work for the Government of Canada in another capacity that will utilize her excellent customer service skills. They will be missed, but I wish them the best and know they will serve with the same determination and care they brought to my offices.